A Ridiculous Proposal
by OutlawPrincess1
Summary: Mal is worried, Ben's been acting very odd on their 5 year anniversary of dating. He can't be about to break up with her, can he? For all her fears, Ben had a VERY different idea in mind. There's a question he wants to ask his girlfriend, though he may need to get a bit "ridiculous" to manage asking her at all. Oneshot. Bal Fic.


Author's Note-Listening to Ridiculous for the umpteenth time (it really IS getting ridiculous how many times I've listened to it), it hit me that if you slow it down, it could be a very, VERY cute proposal, and this oneshot happened.

Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants or the Isle of the Lost.

*(*)*

A Ridiculous Proposal

Mal couldn't help but be tense as she ate what was probably the most romantic dinner of her life, sitting across from Ben in their spot, the small broken pillared little patio thing that he'd taken her to during their first date. They came there every year on the anniversary of that date. They came there more than just then, but they ALWAYS came on that specific date, no matter what for the last 5 years.

Ben had done exactly as he had their first date, led her there with her eyes closed, which was different than the last four years, and told her to open them to hundreds of candles illuminating the darkness, making it look like an enchanted realm from the stories instead of rock and water and grass. There was a picnic spread just like their first date, but with more tailored foods now that he knew what she liked to eat. There were strawberries too.

She wanted to enjoy it, she really did, but Ben had been fidgeting and nervous and stuttering through the entire time and she couldn't help the way her heart started to pound and her ears began to ring at the thought of WHY he would be acting like that. She'd heard some stories from the other girls about how their boyfriends were when they wanted to, well, to break up. They all got so nervous because they didn't want to hurt their former girlfriends.

But that couldn't be this.

Could it?

No, no, Ben wouldn't set up such an elaborate dinner and make it such a romantic feel if he was planning to end their relationship.

Right?

She didn't know, she really didn't, she'd never had any other boyfriend but Ben, she really didn't know how he might break up with someone. She didn't think the way he'd ended his relationship with Audrey (even though he'd reassured her that he'd been about to break up with her before he'd even eaten the cookie) counted.

"Ben?" she sucked it up and asked him flat out, she might be a little softer than when she came there from the Isle, but that didn't mean she wasn't still strong, "You ok?"

"Yeah," he smiled at her.

"You're lying," she deadpanned, "You're thinning your lips, you do that when you lie."

"I do?" he blinked at that, seeming surprised that he had such a tell.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Look you can tell me anything, you know that."

"I know," he cut in quickly, not wanting her to get upset, "I just," he took a breath, "I'm nervous."

"About what?" she tried to lighten the mood, nibbling on a strawberry, "Going to try and teach me to swim again?"

He chuckled at that lightly, he'd attempted to teach her to swim once, it hadn't gone well, "No, nothing like that."

"Then what is it?"

"I've just been," he paused, trying to find the right words, "I've been practicing a song for you," he told her, "And I'm just trying to work up the nerve to sing it."

Mal blinked at that, "A song?" she asked quietly, feeling a smile coming to her face, "The last time you sang to me…"

"I was under a love spell, yeah," he laughed heartily at that, filling Mal with relief that they could joke about that moment, that he wasn't angry with her for it, "I'm not a singing type," he reminded her. He could sing in a group, but alone or by himself was something he still struggled with.

"I know," she nodded, reaching out to squeeze his hand, "Anything I can do to help?"

He shook his head in amusement at the underlying intention there, she wanted to hear the song, "Yeah, actually," he nodded, "Could you stand over there," he pointed to a pillar, "And um, look at the water?"

"You don't want me to look at you when you sing a song to me?" she raised an eyebrow at that.

"Call me self-conscious," he shrugged easily.

She gave him a look for that, he was far from self-conscious, even about his singing, but if this would get him to sing to her, she wouldn't lie and say she hadn't enjoyed when he HAD sang to her last time, "Fine, whatever," she pushed herself up and moved over to one of the pillars, leaning against it as she looked out at the water, "Good?"

"Perfect," Ben nodded, taking a moment to just look at her in the candlelight.

"At your leisure, milord!" she mocked lightly, making him chuckle.

Ben took a deep breath, preparing himself, and started to sing, deep and slow, a very familiar song, " _Did I mention that I'm in love with you?_ " he smiled, seeing her tensing at the words from 5 years ago, the very first song he had sang to her, the only song he'd sung JUST for her, it was much slower, much softer, carrying FAR more weight and emotion because now he was choosing to sing the words, because they were right, they were EXACTLY what he felt for her, from the bottom of his heart, with all his soul, he felt every single word, " _And did I mention there's nothing I can do? And did I happen to say I dream of you every day? Well let me sing it out loud, if that's ok,_ " he changed a little of the words, he had to, to fit what he wanted to do, " _Because my love for you is ridiculous,_ " he swapped a few lines, he had to, " _I never knew that it could be like this,_ " and he hadn't, " _My love for you is ridiculous. And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss. See I met this girl that rocked my world like it's never been rocked, and now I'm living just for her and I won't EVER stop,_ " his voice trembled at the last part, feeling that so powerfully that he could hear her gasping at the promise in his words. He took another breath, knowing another change was coming to the song, " _I never thought that it could happen to a guy like me,_ " that was true as well, " _But now look at what you've done, you got me down on one knee…_ "

He cut off abruptly, looking at Mal's form intently, knowing she would turn around at the very particular change in the last two words, and she did, her hands flying to cover her mouth, her eyes wide as she looked at him, down on one knee, a small ring held up in his hands, a crystal with a light purple hue to it cut in an egg shape.

" _I gotta know which way to go, come on give me a sign,_ " he held the ring up higher, smiling at her, " _You gotta show me that you're only ever gonna be mine,_ " his voice had lowered to a whisper as Mal slowly stepped towards him, " _Don't wanna go another minute living without you,_ " he told her genuinely, " _Cause if your heart just isn't in it I don't…_ "

"Yes!" Mal cut in, unable to bear hearing him even question if her heart was in it or not, "Yes!"

Ben beamed at that, standing just as Mal threw herself into his arms, kissing him deeply, a tear falling from her eyes.

He pulled away only a moment to slip the ring onto her finger, a perfect fit, before he was pulling her back to him.

His proposal might have been admittedly a little ridiculous, but so was his love for her, and it had worked in the end, and that was all that mattered, that Mal said yes.

*(*)*

Author's Note-Hope you liked this little oneshot, kind of short, but I thought that it would be a sweet sort of echo back that Ben would do for a proposal in a few years time.


End file.
